I was applying for another tourist visa at the consulate in Savannakhet.  When handing the guy my passport and application, he looked at my docs (including >20K bank statement) and flipped through my passport.  Then he asked me what I'm doing in Thailand.  I told him I'm studying online.  He looked at me hard.  I told him I'm not working in Thailand (true), I'm just studying (true, self-study).  I said online marketing (it's actually ecommerce, but the wrong word came out).  He pointed out that I had too many visas in my passport. 

 

There were 3 Thai visas in my passport.  Here they are in chronicolgical order:

1. HCMC
2. Vientiane
3. Vientiane 

 

Note, there are 0 from Savannakhet.
Note, my onward flight was to Vientiane also.  So it probably looks to him like I was planning on doing one more visa there.

 

He told me that I can't come back there for a visa again, but he will give me a visa this time.  I smiled and said "okay I understand, thank you!"

 

BTW I'm Canadian, in my late 30's.

So what do you think happens the next day?  Visa with a "red" warning stamp right?  But when I picked up the passport, there was no red stamp.  Just a normal looking visa.  So everything seems to be fine.

 

Maybe I got lucky and he forgot. 
Or maybe he realized that 3 is not "many" visas and changed his mind.
Or maybe a red stamp is not necessary if they have a new rule there that 3 is too many.

Or maybe he "red stamped" me in the computer only?

 

I've read of people getting unlimited visas at Savannakhet.  So I was surprised to encounter resistance this time.

I wonder if I can go back to Savannakhet.  Next I might hit Vientiane one more time, but then I plan to move to Philippines for a while.  I can stay there for 3 years without having to leave the country - no visa runs!  So I might not need to go back to Savannakhet.  But if things change, I might actually want to try Savannakhet one more time.  

 

Questions:

 

1. Why did I NOT get a red stamp?
2. What likely happens if I try Savannakhet again?
3. Are they tightening up a lot there, or did I just have bad luck?

Lolz, that combined total is just a year and before they used to give out triple entry visas like they were going out of fashion.

That is a new one from Savana....its usually in/out as long as you show the required money etc.

Go to another country for next one, but avoid coming in to BKK by air if you want to avoid hassles....or get on another type of visa.

 

Games up for serial TV runners with a significant amount of time in LoS soon once they integrate and upgrade the land border systems maybe next year if they try to enter on a TV after that point I guess....they'll get the "Don Muang interrogation experience" without the IDC part as they will just get bounced back to whatever surrounding country they tried to enter from.

Edited December 4, 20187 yr by freedomnow

1. No one can answer that.

2. Given that you didn’t get a stamp they’d probably issue another visa.

3. Yes they are tightening up there.

Edited December 4, 20187 yr by elviajero

Thailand is not for study, you should have said visiting a girlfriend, or taking a gap year, or touring Asia.

Tourist VISA is for tourists and you told him you weren't a tourist.

Edited December 4, 20187 yr by BritManToo

"Red" stamps are colored blue

They do not "red-stamp" in Savannakhet, that I recall. 

 

Thank you for the update.  That could mean that obtaining visas there should come before Vientiane, rather than after, in the future.  Perhaps even before HCMC/Hanoi. 

 

With a new passport, if I were still using Tourist Visas, I think my order would be Phnom Penh, Penang/KL, HCMC, Savannakhet, Hanoi, then Vientiane x3.

 

And if asked, the true answer - "Traveling SE Asia using Thailand as a Hub."  Best to stay out at least a week or more before returning, or the story doesn't wash.

 

Another factor - if you had proof of foreign-income, some consulate personnel might take a look at that info, and take it into consideration (unlike immigration upon entry, at bad entry-points).